Note: A printable PDF version of this newsletter is available here.
Dear Friends, Family, and Supporters,
It’s been a wonderful and busy spring season for us. The Lord has blessed the land with spring showers. This reflects His goodness and His wonderful blessings which He so generously showers upon us! Here in the spring, all the leaves of the oak trees turn brown and fall off. Then, within only a few weeks, the new leaves return and the forest fills with life again.
Last year at this time, we had just finished cutting down several hundred pine trees. They had all been infected by a pine beetle and had died. Then, over the next several months, we planted several hundred new baby pines. How they have grown! Several of them are already over 4 feet tall! We are looking forward to the rainy season, starting in June, so we can plant more.
Just as we have been planting trees, we have also been planting the seed of the Word of the Lord in the lives of many people over the last several months. Let’s dive into our latest update.
Bible School
When I last wrote to you, we were beginning our spring semester with Fundamentos Ministeriales, our online Bible school. Most of the students who enrolled are working hard on their studies. We are now in the final month of the semester, and we see much good fruit. Many of the students are so hungry for God’s Word and dedicate much time and energy to their studies.
Sara has been facilitating the course “The Life of Christ,” and Anna has been facilitating two courses—The Local Church and Social Roles and Relationships. Both Anna and I have also been working on new course development and planning things for our first full-time semester, which will begin in August. We have developed a few new courses over the past several weeks, including “Building Strong Churches,” which will complement our current Local Church course; The Tabernacle of Moses, which examines the types, shadows, and symbols in this Old Testament structure, relating them all to the cross of Jesus and the New Testament Church; Christian Counseling; and Personal Ministry. Anna is also developing a couple of new courses, including our Academic Orientation course for new students and a small promotional course called “Christ Throughout the Bible,” which will give an overview of several of our other courses, a bit like a “free sample” for anyone interested in studying with us. There are several people who are interested but want to see what our courses are like before committing to a full semester. This course will allow them to try it out and get a feel for how our system works.
I have also been working on the technical side of things for our online software, adding many new features needed to host different types of courses and to deal with full-time students on a daily basis. This includes tracking of the student’s practicum (service in their local church, for which they will receive academic credits) and several new accounting functions.
Our goal is to prepare servant-leaders for the local church. We want to come alongside pastors, leaders, and others with a call of God upon their lives and help to equip them. We now have over 30 courses as part of our program, have had over 1,000 students go through courses, and look forward to continuing sowing the Word of the Lord into Mexico and many other nations.
Local Church Ministry
The church here in Tulancingo is doing well. We are blessed with a wonderful congregation—people who love the Lord and want to grow in Him. I’ve been teaching a series on the Ten Commandments, inspired by the work of the well-known Australian theologian Kevin Conner. As Christians under the New Covenant, we are no longer under the ceremonial or civil laws of Old Testament Israel, but Jesus Christ and the Apostolic writers of the New Testament reaffirm and even expand upon all of the moral laws, including 9 out of the 10 commandments. Israel was first rescued from slavery in Egypt, then they were given the Ten Commandments so they would know how to live as a redeemed people. In a similar manner, God first rescues us from slavery to sin, then He gives us His commands and His Word so we can live a lifestyle of the redeemed.
We will be holding a baptismal service in a couple of weeks, and there are about 10 new believers who will publicly identify with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, confessing His name before the congregation. What a blessing!
I’d also like to share a need we have. Karla, a 22-year-old medical student and a member of our church, experienced kidney failure over the last several months. She has been on dialysis, but last Tuesday received a transplant from her father. Please pray for this entire family. They have been members of our church for just over a year, and they have been through a lot. They are trusting in the Lord for Karla’s recovery, as well as Javier’s.
Family
Sara has been teaching English classes at two public primary schools in our area. She has about 130 students and is a big blessing to so many of them. This has been a unique opportunity for her to connect with some of them and their parents, being a light in many dark situations. She really likes teaching little children!
David Jeremiah, our son, will be graduating with a doctorate degree after studying engineering at Texas A&M over the last several years. We are planning on being with him in August for the ceremony.
Daniel and Elisa are expecting their second child in September. Our granddaughter Ella is about 1 1/2 years old and calls us every few days on FaceTime. Sometimes she wants to see Grandma, sometimes Aunt Anna, and sometimes Grandpa. However, she also always wants to see Willow, our dog! She is so cute as she learns to talk, speaking a mixture of English, Spanish, and Japanese!
Finally, Anna continues to be a huge blessing here. She leads Bible studies with the youth, teaches monthly in our church, leads worship, and helps run the Bible School.
Thanks!
We would like to express our most sincere thanksgiving to all of you who are supporting us, praying for us, and blessing us. Thank you for partnering with us as we share the Gospel here in Tulancingo and throughout the nations. Thank you so much for your participation!
In His Love,
David and Sara Lont
with Anna